In the Decrease Snack Foods condition participants will reduce intake of SFs (i.e., candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, chips, nuts) to < 3 servings/week (for children aged 6 to 12 years, the solid fats and added sugar energy limit is 840 kcals/week and the DECREASE goal will help with meeting this limit). Children and parents will gradually work towards meeting these goals and self-monitor these behaviors.

Behavioral: Decrease Snack Foods

This condition will reduce intake of SFs (i.e., candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, chips, nuts) to < 3 servings/week (for children aged 6 to 12 years, the solid fats and added sugar energy limit is 840 kcals/week and the DECREASE goal will help with meeting this limit). Children and parents will gradually work towards meeting these goals and self-monitor these behaviors.

Experimental: Increase + Decrease Condition

Families will be encouraged to increase fruits and vegetables and decrease snack foods.

Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables and Decrease Snack Foods

Will combine the goals of the increase and decrease conditions.

Experimental: Increase Condition

A parent and child will be encouraged to increase fruits and vegetables. Children will be encouraged to consume 1 cup/day and 1.5 cups/day of whole fruit, and 1.5 cups/day and 2 cups/day of vegetables for children aged 6 to 8 years and 9 to 12 years, respectively. Children will gradually work towards these goals. Parents will also work towards F&V goals, with 2 cups/day of whole fruit and 2.5 cups/day of vegetables.

Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables

Children will be encouraged to consume 1 cup/day and 1.5 cups/day of whole fruit, and 1.5 cups/day and 2 cups/day of vegetables for children aged 6 to 8 years and 9 to 12 years, respectively. Children will gradually work towards these goals. Parents will also work towards F&V goals, with 2 cups/day of whole fruit and 2.5 cups/day of vegetables. Both parent and child will self-monitor these behaviors. As one barrier to consuming F&Vs is perceived cost of these foods, information regarding lower-cost options for F&Vs will be included in the manual.

Detailed Description:

The goal of this pilot study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial examining three dietary messages: increase fruits and vegetables [INCREASE], decrease energy-dense, non-nutrient dense snack foods [DECREASE], or increase fruits and vegetables plus decrease snack foods [INCREASE+DECREASE], within a 6-month, family-based obesity prevention intervention. Each condition will also focus on increasing family evening meals and physical activity. Primary hypotheses are: 1) INCREASE + DECREASE will consume a greater ratio of F&Vs:SFs than INCREASE and DECREASE at 6 months.

2)INCREASE + DECREASE will consume less energy than INCREASE and DECREASE at 6 months.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:

6 Years to 12 Years

Genders Eligible for Study:

Both

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Children between ages 6-12 years

BMI percentile > 5th and < 85th percentile for age and sex

Have a parent aged > 21 years with a BMI > 25

Have an overweight/obese parent willing to attend intervention meetings

Parent and child speak and read English

Not moving out of the metropolitan area during the course of the investigation

Exclusion Criteria:

Reporting that the child and parent planning to participate have dietary restrictions related to fruit and vegetable intake

Physical activity restrictions

A parent reporting that she is pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or currently breastfeeding

Contacts and Locations

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below.
For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01510678